The Morning News Update with Next, Tullet Prebon and Plexus

FTSE 100

Next (NXT) –  new profit range guidance for the full year if is £750m to £790m, which would represent an increase over last year of between +8% and +14%.  

Standard Life (SL.) – Fee revenue across increased by 13% to £1.032 billion in the nine months to September.

Johnson Matthey (JMAT) – has entered into an agreement to acquire the battery materials business of Clariant AG (Clariant) for $75 million.

FTSE 250

Stagecoach (SGC) – overall profitability has remained satisfactory, and there has been no material change to expected adjusted earnings per share for the year ending 30th April 2015.

Alliance Trust (ATST) – Net Asset Value Total Return (NAVTR) for the September quarter was 1.1% which ranked just outside the second quartile compared to other global trusts

Tullet Prebon (TLPR) – notes the announcement by the Serious Fraud Office that it has issued criminal proceedings against Noel Cryan, a former employee, in connection with the manipulation of LIBOR. 

Small caps

Plexus Holdings (POS) – reports a 65.1% increase in profit after tax to £5.05 million for the year to June.

Forum Energy (FEP) – unaudited revenues for the nine months to 30th September were $6.1 million, up 79% year on year, mainly due to the start of production at Phase 2 of the Galoc oil field (SC-14C).

Ceres Power (CWR) – has signed a next stage Joint Development Agreement with a leading global Japanese power systems company following a successful period of extensive testing both in the UK and Japan during the past year.

Northcote Energy (NCT) – reports a 33% increase in gross production from the Lutcher Moore #9 well to 115 barrels of oil equivalent a day.

Johnston Press (JPR) – saw a further narrowing of the decline in total revenues year on year from continuing operations, down 3.1% in the third quarter compared with 4.3% in the first half of the year.